Music-scale educational apparatus.



No. 666,247. Patented 1an. 15, lem.

n. L. FnA-lsHEn.

MUSIC SCALE EDUCATIGNAL APPARATUS.

(Applicntion led Har. 30, 1900, (N0 Model.)

j: 7 ig c222.- 1 y, mummy nnomn'm "74 0 4 lmuglagwm @www /Wm `seats forthe pegs arranged relative to the UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ROBERT LOVE FRAISHER, OF GLENDORA, CALIFORNIA.

MUSIC-SCALE EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,247, dated January15, 1901.

Application filed March 30, 1900.

.To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that LROBEET LovE FRAISHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Glendora, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Music-Scale EducationalApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for teaching the theory and notation ofmusic.

My invention comprises the combination of a staff member marked toindicate the lines and spaces of a music-staff, a scale member marked toindicate the lines and spaces which represent a given musicscale, andmovable position determining members for adj ustment relative to thelines and spaces'of the staff member and scale member to allow the scalemember to fit alongside the staff member at that position only where thekey-note of the scale represented by the scale member will register withthe line or space of the staff member which is devoted to such note.

The invention is capable of being carried out in various Ways, and Iwill not attempt in this specification to show the various modifications in which it may be carried out.

I will now describe the mode of embodying my invention which I atpresent deem preferable. In this form a staff member is provided markedWith lines and pitch-names of the degrees of the music-staff in a givenkey and provided, respectively, with seats having a cylindrical portionand a rectilinear or {iatfaced portion, pegs, respectively, having vacylindrical portion and a rectilinear or flatfaced portion to fit theseats, respectively, and to project therefrom, and a scale memberprovided with seats to tit a portion of the rectilinear or fiat-facedpart of the pegs.

My invention includes a music-scale ed ucational apparatus comprising astaff board or member marked on one face with the lines and pitch-namesof the degrees of the musicsta and provided with seats at uniformdistances apart corresponding to the same degrees, movable pegs ormembers for said seats, and a scale piece or member provided with seatsof the stalf-board at distances apart corresponding to the degrees of amusic-scale. In practical application the apparatus is provided withfive scale pieces or members rep- Serial No. 10,882. tNo model.)

resenting the major sc ale,the chromatic scale, and the natu ral,harmonic, and melodic minor scales. The arrangement of the seats in theseveral scale-pieces corresponds to the arrangement of the tones oftheir respective scales.

The purposes of my invention are, rst, to provide an object by which theteacher can illustrate and easily and clearly explain the rudimentaryprinciples of music; second, to provide an instrument by means of whicha child can positively determine the number and names of the sha1-ps ordats of any key and the signature of that key; third, to furnish thepupil something tangible and concrete in his study of the scales andkeys,there by giving him a more vivid and comprehensive idea of thesubject with less effort than is usually required, and, fourth, tographically show the relation between the music-staff and the keyboardof the pianoforte and similar instruments. I attain these objects by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure Iis a view of my invention in use for illustrating the major scale in thekey of O. Fig. Il is a plan section on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. III isan edge elevation of one of the scale-pieces. to show the peg-seatstherein. The major-scale-piece is shown in this view. Fig. IV is afragmental detail to illustrate the movable pegs and the seats thereforin the staff-board and scale-piece. Fig. V shows the face of thechromatic scale-piece. Figs. VI, VII, and VIII show the faces of thenatural, the harmonic, and the melodic minor scalepieces, respectively.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

s indicates the staff-board; t, the major scale-piece; u, the chromaticscale-piece; fu, the natural minor scale-piece; w, the harmonic minorscale-piece, and @o the melodic minor scale-piece.

The staff-board s is provided with five lines h to represent the fivelines of the treblestaff and with short lines t' to represent theledger-lines above and below the staif. The

spaces, beginning` with middle C on the first ledger-line below thestaff and ending with high C on the second ledger-line above the staff,thus making two octaves in the natural key, or key of C. The staff-linesh, the ledger-lines yi, and the pitch-name letters j are so placed- 27.e., by properly spacing them-as to show the relative positions of wholetones and half-tones in the natural key-that is to say, the half-tonesare indicated between E and F and between B and C. The staff-board isprovided in its edge with twenty-seven seats It, atequal intervals, torepresent the chromatic tones of the two cota-ves, the half-tone belowmiddle C, and the half-tone above high C. The movableseale-member-supporting members or pegs m are placed normally-z'. e.,inthe key of G- in the holes 7s opposite the pitch-name letters zo j ortheir lines and spaces on the staff-board s. Hence ifteen pegs m areused. The stalfboard is preferably blackened or otherwise colored, as atn, at the seats representing semitones of the key of C, as between GandD, D and E, F and G, dzc. The blackened portions n preferably extendacross the edge of the statt-board and across the portion of the face,say, one and one-half inches from the edge of the staff-board, thusshowing the resemblance between the staff-board and the key-board of thepiano and of similar instruments. (See Figs. I and IV.) The holes orseats tare each provided with a datfaced recess, as at 7e', and the pegsare formed with like flat faces mi to prevent the pegs from turning whenfully placed in position. Preferably an inner portion lt of each holeand a correspoinling` port-ion m" of each peg are made cylindrical tofit each other, and the outer portion or head of each peg corresponds toa lateral extension of such cylinder in a rectangular vlign re the frontface of which will be flush with the front face of the staffboard whenthe pin is fully seated in its seat and is marked with an appropriatepitchname letterj. The recess 71"/ in the staff-board extends to theface of the board for this purpose and is of less length than and seatsonly a portion of the head on' ot' the peg, so that a considerableportion of said head m' extends from the edge of the staff-board.

Each of the scale-pieces is provided with seats 0 to lit and seat theprojecting portion ot' the pegs -m when they are seated in thestaff-board. The seats in the several scale- )ieces are arrangedatappropriateintervals, corresponding to the intervals of the tonesrepresented by such scale-piece. The seats or notches o extend to oneface of their respective scale-pieces after the manner of the recesses7s of thestatf-board. On the reverse face of each of the scale-pieces ahook j) is attached and projects beyond the edge ofthe scale-piece tohookinto a grooveqin the rear face ot the staff-board whenever the twoare brought into operative position, as indicated in Fig. I. Thestaff-board is preferably provided with a groove q, extending from endto end of the stai'tboard, so that the hooks p will catch into thegroove at any position in which the scale-piece can be set.

r indicates buttons or clasps on the front faces of the severalscale-pieces to be turned to extend over the pegs m when seated in theseats o. By means of the clasps upon the pins and the hook hooked intothe groove q the scale-piece willbe held firmly in position.

There are eight notches or seats o in the major scale-piece t,representing the eight tones of the major scale. The syllables let andnumbers l5 of these tones are marked on the right side of saidscale-piece opposite their respective notches. The location of thehalf-steps of the scale between 3 and Ll (Mi and Fa) and 7 and 8 (Ti andDo) is shown by making the distance between their corresponding notcheshalf as great as that between those representing whole steps. Thus whenthe scale-piece is placed with l or Do on G of the staff-board, itsseveral notches exactly fit the pegs of the statt-board if such pegs arein their normal position. If any other key than the key of C in themajor scale is desired, the pegs of the staff-board are flrst-placed intheir normal position-. c., key of C. Then the notch at. l or Do of themajor scale-piecet is placed on the peg-e. g., the pcg atG-corresponding to the desired key e. g., key of G. Then it is foundthat the rest of the notches will not match the pegs until some of thepegs are raised (sharped) or lowered, (flatted.) Thus in the key of Gthe F-peo has to be raised (sharped)f. e., placed in the hole blackenedbetween F and G. Then the scale-piece will fit on all the pegs. Hence itwill be found that in the key of G major there is one sharp, (F.) ltwill also be shown that. F is on the top line of the staff and that thesignature of the key of G major is one i# placed on the fifth or topline of the staff. The ratios of the number of vibrations of the severaltones of thc major scale IOO IIO

are preferably marked at lG on the major scale-piece opposite theirrespective notchese., l at the end of the first notch, Do, 9/8 at theend of the second notch, Re, duc. The numbers of vibrations regarded asmiddle C are also preferably marked, as at 17, on the staff-boardopposite that letter. By multiplying the number of vibrations of middleC by the appropriate ratio the number of vibrations of any tone of themathematical scale can be determined. The other scale-pieces u, o, w,and are made the same as the major scalepieee t, except that theposition of the notches is such as to show the relation of the tones ineach scale, and the syllables and numbers are placed correspondingly.

That I claim,- and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

l. In a music-scale apparatus, the combination of a staff member markedto indicate the lilies and spaces of a music-staff; a scale IZO membermarked to indicate the lines and spaces which represent a givenmusic-scale;

and movable scale-member-supporting members for adjustment relative tothe lines and spaces of the staff member and scale member to connect thescale member with the stad member and to allow the scale member to talongside the staff member at that position only where the key-note ofthe scale represented by the scale member will register With the line orspace of the staff member Which is devoted to such note.

2. A music-scale apparatus comprisingl a staff member marked with linesand pitchnames of the degrees of the music-staff in a given key andprovided with seats at nniform distances apart corresponding to thedegrees of the music-staff; movable pegs for such seats; and a scalemember provided With seats for the pegs arranged relative to the seatsof the staff member at dist-ances apart corresponding to the degrees ofa mnsicscale- 3. The combination of a staff member marked with lines andpitch-names of the degrees of the music-staff in a given key, andprovided With seats at uniform distances apart corresponding to thedegrees of the musicstaif; movable pegs for such seats; the face of thesta member being colored to indicate the location of the seatscorresponding to the half-tones of the scale in said key; movable pegsfor the seats; and a scale member provided With seats for the pegsarranged relative to the seats of the staff member at distances apartcorresponding to the degrees of a music-scale.

4. A music-scale apparatus comprising a staff member marked with linesand pitchnames of the degrees of the music-staff in a given key andprovided With seats at uniform distances apart corresponding to thedegrees of the music-staff; movable pegs for such seats; a scale-pieceprovided with seats for the pegs arranged relative to the seats of thestaff member at distances apart corresponding to the degrees of amusic-scale; and means for fastening the staff member and scale membertogether.

5. The combination of a staff member marked with lines and pitch-namesof the degrees of the music-staff in a given key and provided with seatshaving a cylindrical portion and a rectilinear portion; pegs,respectively having a cylindrical portion and a rectilinear portion toiit the seats, respectively; and a scale member provided with seats tofit a portion of the rectilinear parts of the pegs.

6. The combination of a staff member marked with lines and pitch-namesof the degrees of the music-staif in a given key and provided with seatshaving a cylindrical portion and a rectilinear portion; pegs,respectively having a cylindrical portion and a rectilinear portion tofit the seats respectively; a scale member provided with seats to fit aportion of the rectilinear part of the peg; and means for fastening thescale member in position relative to the staff member.

7. The combination of a staff member provided With a longitudinal grooveand marked with lines and pitch-names of the degrees of the music-staffin a given key and provided with seats having a cylindrical portion anda rectilinear portion; pegs, respectively having a cylindrical portionand a rectilinear portion to fit the seats respectively; a scale memberprovided with seats to iit a portion of the rectilinear parts of thepegs; a hook fastened to the scale member and extending to fit in thegroove of the staff member; and means for retaining the pegs in theirseats in the scale member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two'snbscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, California, this17th day of March, 1900.

ROBERT LOVE FRAISHER.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. ToWNsEND, JOHN A. MORRIS.

